NORTHAMPTON — With the city still searching for a buyer for the 33 King St. property, the City Council voted to charge for parking in the lot behind the property during its Oct. 1 meeting.
According to City Council President Alex Jarrett, it will cost $.50 per hour to park in the lot between the hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. until the city sells the property.
But so far, the city has had a challenging time finding a prospective buyer who would want to purchase the 1.46-acre location and redevelop it into a new multi-story building that compliments existing and surrounding architecture, and the residential and business environment.
The building, which was built in 1975 and used to be the probate court, family court and Hampshire County Registry of Deeds, was transferred from the state to the city last summer and has been vacant since 2019.
The city first solicited bids in the spring with hopes of receiving a bidder by July 10, but after receiving no interest, the city officially released another request for proposals effort on July 31 to seek a minimum bid of $2.1 million for the property and for all bids to be submitted by Sept. 6 at 1 p.m.
According to Carolyn Misch, the director of Planning and Sustainability, the city has still not been able to entrance a prospective buyer, which means the city is planning to put out another bid sometime in the future.
“We do not yet have a buyer, and we are going to put this one back out to bid, slightly reframed,” Misch said in a statement. “I don’t have a date yet.”
The Northampton City Council officially approved RFP language and criteria for the building last September. During that time, the council and a couple of its committees workshopped language around a point-based scoring system within the RFP to help determine which projects from bidders are considered more advantageous to the city.
In the most recent version of the RFP, the city was looking for any project proposals that would benefit the vibrancy of the downtown area like a multi-story hotel, housing of any kind or other economic development that generates an active street life. The RFP also stated certain proposals that include features like mixed income housing, 20 or more parking spaces and/or a multi-story building with three floors would be considered favorably.
“The city will accept bids that meet the city’s bid minimum, this RFP and generate the greatest revenue to the city upon evaluation based on a 10-year horizon of financial benefit to the city,” read the most recent RFP.
Most of the council voted in support of charging for public parking in the lot behind the property until the city sells the property. At-Large City Councilor Garrick Perry said the resource has been a major help for the downtown area.
“A lot of my fellow service industry folks have been using that lot for a while,” Perry said. “There’s a need for later night parking, so that has really been a great space.”
Ward 3 City Councilor Quaverly Rothenberg was the only councilor to vote “no” because she said that the residents she represents want free parking in general.
“I would encourage and welcome an initiative on parking down the line,” Rothenberg said.
If the city eventually sells the property, then half of the proceeds from the city will go toward the state based on a formula they created.
